I recently had a dramatic fall on stage in Hungary. It was a massive stage – I was miles away from the audience – and I didn’t expect there to be two monitors in the middle of it. I went completely arse over tit and landed on my chin. First, I felt shock, pain, embarrassment, and then I felt lucky that I didn’t break any teeth or bite through my tongue. I asked for an ice pack for my chin, got up and finished the set.
Which moment embarrassed you most?
Question
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Identity & self
Question
Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
Money & investment
Question
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Values & belief
Question
Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
Taste & recommendation
Question
Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?
Failure & regret
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
I’ve shat myself in public three times. It’s never quite as bad as you fear.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 October 2025 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 122 →The Radio 1 breakfast show was an embarrassing moment that lasted for nine months.
Dancing on stage with an open fly.
Romesh Ranganathan
English actor and comedian
I was once walking through Edinburgh with someone in the industry. I was quite drunk and I slowly wet myself.
More from Charlie Higson
View profile →I can be horribly smug and conceited, and yet always in the back of my mind is the thought that things could go terribly wrong at any moment.
Three mature palm trees. We restored a property in Italy that had been derelict and I needed to make it look established as quickly as I could.
Aggression. Anger. Rudeness. Intolerance. Lack of understanding. Pretty much your average day on X.
I used to give a fantastic talk about Frankenstein and Dracula, but I’ve never been able to finish either book.
All the kids I didn’t reply to who’ve written lovely letters about my books.
Middle-class wanker.
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- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 69 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 36 answers
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